Brian Lorimer

Cultural preservation against the incursion of modern society is the predominant theme in my work. Through a contemporary lens I search for world defining moments; unique, vibrant cultures; tales of survival and tenebrous off-grid locations that ignite us to take pause for reflection so as to temper the modern shift.

Our connection to the land is what has sustained humankind throughout the ages. As the world continues to accelerate towards global expansion this union diminishes, resulting in a disconnect. Through these images I am focusing on changing how we see the world to reinforce the bond that connects us.

BRIAN LORIMER is a Canadian artist with an adventurous past. His remarkable paintings of indigenous peoples, war and Canadian landscapes can be found in many corporate collections including the Hard Rock Cafe, Toronto Metro Zoo, Via Rail, Wildhorse Saloon, Canadian Legion, Price Waterhouse Coopers as well as many private collections around the world.

Lorimer was born in 1961 in Belleville, Ontario. He studied at the Ontario College of Art in the early 80’s, became a self-employed illustrator/designer in Toronto in the late 80’s and early 90’s before founding Lorimer Studios in 1996, one of Canada’s pre-eminent mural companies. He closed the doors in 2002 to begin focusing on projects that involved travelling off the beaten path in service to his art. These journeys have taken him from the killing fields of Cambodia and the barren landscape of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia to the bone numbing cold of Cape Dorset in the Canadian arctic.

I’m Still Here Series:

“I’m Still Here II” is a collection of paintings where we see Lorimer pushing the boundaries between landscape and abstraction. Creating this series of work only from his imagination, it is quintessentially “Lorimer”, bold, assertive and exploding with colour.

This project is about the environment and the damage done. However, rather than illustrate the scars we’ve inflicted he chooses to show the beauty. Lorimer believes there is hope in nature. He says, “Collectively we need to stop and realize that nature has the power to steer us back on course. Nature has always been our guide and right now she is screaming ‘I’m Still Here’, we just have to listen”. – Brian Lorimer